Manoli Katakis 
Jeep hasn’t been in military duty since the Vietnam war, but a recent announcement could signal a change to that. While General Motors is at work developing a Chevrolet Colorado-based Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), AM General – the company behind the iconic Humvee – has announced a collaboration with FCA on a special military truck that’s essentially a 2020 Jeep Gladiator.
Called the Jeep Gladiator XMT, the military truck has been upfitted by AM General with both custom-built and commercially available military-grade parts that elevate the off-road capabilities of the Gladiator, which aim to meet varied military customer requirements.
FCA says that, pending feedback and interest in the military marketplace, production of the Jeep Gladiator XMT could begin in the second half of 2020. Additionally, the Gladiator XMT would be offered to military customers in both diesel and gasoline versions.
The one photo provided of the Jeep Gladiator XMT show rail bars in place of where the doors be, and those might even be out of the Mopar parts catalog. Up front looks to be a massive steel brush guard complete with a winch, while a pair of massive antennas protrude from the truck bed. The interior appears to have a set of conceptual minimalist seats to save on unwanted complexities. The wheels appear to be black steel, while the BF Goodrich tires appear to be significantly larger than the 31 inch units found on the Jeep Gladiator Rubicon.
Other than that, it’s hard to tell what other modifications are in store for the Jeep Gladiator XMT, but the truck is said to implement the Enhanced Tactical Kit (ETK) learnings from the AM General Humvee.
AM General has over 100 years in defense and automotive experience. The American defense company designs, engineers, manufactures, supplies and supports specialized vehicles for military and commercial customers worldwide, with major facilities in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. AM General has produced and sustained over 300,000 vehicles in over 70 countries.
